Sponges & Bryozoans of Long Island, NY

March 23, 2024 – Sponges & Bryozoans of Long Island
Robert Thacker, Stony Brook University. Learn about the variety of sponges and bryozoans that live on Long Island. These sessile animals are part of a diverse community of benthic invertebrates found on our shoreline. We will explore how to identify these species and how they feed on phytoplankton and detritus.

Red Beard Sponge

Photo credit: Stephen Witzig, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/81782-Clathria-prolifera

 

 

 

Oysters on a half shell, Oyster Power!

February 17, 2024

Meet with Dr. Joyce Lau from Farmingdale State College and learn all you need to know about oysters. These marine creatures are tasty but they are also ecological superheroes. They help clean the waters they live in and build homes for other organisms. Come unlock the mystery of oyster cleaning power!

Underwater view of an oyster reef

Credit: Oyster Recovery Partnership/https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/oyster-reef-habitat

Matt Sclafani

January 20, 2024 – Discover the Living Fossils on Long Island Beaches

Matt Sclafani, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Marine Program. Learn all about the amazing horseshoe crabs, creatures that survived five mass extinctions, lived alongside dinosaurs, and play a crucial role in human health today. These “living fossils” travel from the oceans to our local bays every spring, and our volunteers venture out at night to monitor them under the light of the moon. Visit us to learn more about these fascinating animals and find out how you can get involved.

 

Dive under the sea(grass) with Jonah Morreale

On December 9th 2023, meet with graduate student Jonah and learn about the fantastic world associated with seagrass meadow.

The seagrass meadows growing in portions of our bays are not just beautiful – they provide many valuable services that we rely on to keep our coasts healthy! From horseshoe crabs to sea bass, all sorts of marine species rely on these meadows for nursery habitat, and the meadows themselves help to sequester carbon from our atmosphere. Come learn more about the seagrass communities thriving around Long Island.

Photo credit: By Milorad Mikota – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=102000349

Mysteries of the Turkana Fisheries – James Quiroz

Mysteries of the Turkana Fisheries – How aging fishes tells us a lot about the past and the
future.

James, active member in the Michael Frisk’s laboratory, will be presenting a research project (led by M. Muelh) on the age and growth of a variety of fishes in Lake Turkana, Kenya. Using otolith (small oval calcareous bodies in the inner ear), scale, vertebrae and tissue samples, it’s possible to accurately determine the age and growth of valuable fishery stocks which play an important role in the surrounding population’s diet.

Meet with James and learn techniques to study fish biology.

Scientists determine the age of snapper by counting annual growth rings on their otoliths, similar to counting growth rings in trees. Sources: NOAA FishWatch and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otolith#/media/File:Removing_a_red_snapper_otolith.jpg 

 

Want to learn more about James